From heartbreak to addiction: Friends actors’ struggles since show ended
It was all smiles when the cast of Friends was pictured together last week, but the six actors have battled through their fair share of ups and downs.
Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and David Schwimmer have between them endured divorces, rehab and therapy – as well as appearing in other TV shows and films.
Ahead of their big TV reunion on Thursday, we look at how they have survived the ups and downs.
Matt LeBlanc: Dumped by wife after strip night
If you were going to ask LeBlanc: “How you doin’?” the answer would probably be a lot better these days.
While Joey was an easygoing bachelor relaxed about relationship breakups, in real life LeBlanc took the end of his marriage in 2006 to former model Melissa McKnight very badly.
LeBlanc, 53, whose list of previous girlfriends includes actresses Minnie Driver and Kate Hudson, and porn star Jenna Jameson, split from Melissa after he was caught getting too close to a stripper during a night out. The actor admitted he hardly left the house for years afterwards and it was a “very dark time”.
He is currently dating Aurora Mulligan, a producer at the BBC who he met while working on Top Gear, and is a devoted father to his 16-year-old daughter Marina from his marriage to Melissa.
LeBlanc is also feeling a lot more positive about his acting career, which he had tired of in the wake of Friends ending.
Most recently, he was the star and producer of the US sitcom Man With A Plan, which ended last year after four series.
Matt also received plenty of critical acclaim for his appearances in the BBC comedy Episodes, which ran for almost seven years.
Lisa Kudrow: Still happily married to Mr Right
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Like her character Phoebe, the actress found herself getting a bit emotional, this time at her son Julian’s graduation ceremony in California last weekend.
Kudrow, 57, posted an image on Instagram of them together afterwards, saying: “Happy proud happy. And a little crying. By me not him.”
She was pregnant with Julian, now 23, while filming series four of Friends – and her baby bump was written into the script. Of the show’s six main cast members, she has enjoyed the most stable personal life.
Kudrow has been married to 63-year-old businessman Michel Stern for 26 years and they live together in Beverly Hills. She was a virgin until she tied the knot with Michael in 1995, having saved herself for the right man.
She once said: “I don’t know if you’d characterise me as uptight, but I understood what it is to be so afraid of sex – of your sexuality. For me it was just, ‘No, I’m saving myself because I have to make myself worthy of the kind of man I have in mind.’”
Her comic timing has been perfect for eye-catching supporting roles in movie comedies Easy A and Booksmart.
Last year Kudrow had a leading role in the Channel 4 series Feel Good, which will be returning on Netflix for a second series. She also appears in the streaming channel’s comedy Space Force.
David Schwimmer: Split from wife after seven years
His Friends character Ross was super-awkward, and off screen Schwimmer has shied away from the limelight too.
When he married British artist Zoe Buckman in 2010 it was very much a private affair – and the same can be said of their divorce seven years later.
Schwimmer put out a statement at the time saying: “It is with great love, respect and friendship that we have decided to take some time apart.”
He added they would focus on their daughter Cleo, now 10.
The couple seem to have achieved that aim by remaining good friends and were pictured together on a Black Lives Matter march last year.
Schwimmer, 54, who once dated Australian singer-actress Natalie Imbruglia, is believed to be single at the moment.
Professionally he has also tried directing, shooting the 2007 Simon Pegg comedy Run Fatboy Run as well as episodes of Little Britain.
Most recently, he starred in the Sky sitcom Intelligence, which is returning for a second series, and 2019 movie The Laundromat, with Meryl Streep.
RELATED: Surprise guest at the Friends reunion
Matthew Perry: Drink and drug battle
After years of romantic turmoil, the troubled actor is currently engaged to literary manager Molly Hurwitz.
Perry, 51, who once dated Julia Roberts and was rumoured to hold a candle for co-star Courteney Cox, has long expressed a desire to be married and have children.
The star – who had a very public battle with drugs and alcohol – announced his engagement to Molly, 29, in November. A source told The Sun: “Matthew is doing well. Molly is very supportive and he has a tight-knit team around him.”
Last year, fans expressed concern about his slurred words when he recorded greetings on celebrity website Cameo.
The same issue arose in the Friends reunion promo.
Insiders insist he has not fallen off the wagon and any speech issues are likely to be connected to his years of substance abuse.
Matthew has admitted he was so “out of it” for Friends series three to six, he could not remember them.
After not appearing in a movie for more than a decade, Matthew will be back in the forthcoming Netflix black comedy Don’t Look Up, with Leonardo DiCaprio.
Courteney Cox: Agony of IVF and seven miscarriages
The family-loving actress wanted to have several children, but fertility problems meant she only has daughter Coco, 16, who she shares with former husband David Arquette.
Cox, 56, has spoken about her struggles with IVF and the misery of enduring seven miscarriages.
Recalling working on Friends in a scene alongside Jennifer’s character, she said: “I remember one time I just had a miscarriage and Rachel was giving birth. It was like that same time. Oh my God, it was terrible having to be funny.”
She is now dating Snow Patrol guitarist Johnny McDaid, 44, who she met seven years ago via mutual friend Ed Sheeran.
The couple spent much of the pandemic apart because Cox lives in Los Angeles and Johnny in London. This month she moved to the UK to be with him. They briefly split at the end of 2015 when they called off their engagement before reuniting.
Cox remains good friends with her ex-husband and Scream co-star Arquette, 49, who battled drink problems during their four-year marriage.
The pair will be back together on screen in the horror franchise early next year, when Scream 5 hits cinemas.
Jennifer Aniston: Divorced twice but no reunion with ex Brad
There was a flicker of anticipation over another much-hoped-for reunion when Jennifer’s former husband Brad Pitt was seen grabbing her hand at an awards ceremony last year.
The A-listers have both been single since their second marriages ended in divorce.
Aniston, 52, split from actor Justin Theroux in 2017 after just two years together as man and wife, while Pitt, now 57, ended his marriage to fellow star Angelina Jolie the year before that.
But it seems that the pair are nothing more than good friends, and there are rumours that Aniston is now dating someone else. Over the years there has been no end of speculation about whether or not she will have children.
She responded to that five years ago by writing that women “are complete with or without a mate, with or without a child”.
Of all the show’s big names, Jennifer has had the most solo success in commercial terms.
Said to be worth $250 million by Forbes in 2017, she can command up to $15 million per movie role, after appearing in box office hits such as Horrible Bosses and Marley & Me.
Her most recent project was the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination.
Friends: The Reunion airs on BINGE at 5.02pm AEST on May 27, direct from the US. To watch the special or the other 236 episodes of Friends, visit Binge.com.au
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This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission
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